We, the People’s Assembly of Victoria (Occupy Victoria), declare our October 15th action and subsequent occupation of Centennial Square to be a success.

We have awakened ourselves and our community from slumber. We have incited dialogue and engagement. We have begun a long overdue conversation, and in doing so, have joined a global movement.

We have called upon all people who want to build a better world to join us in an honest look at what threatens our collective liberty, including, but not restricted to: systemic economic injustice, colonialism, unchecked corporate ownership of media outlets, the inattention of civil authorities, the supremacy of corporate rights over human rights and the natural world, and the debt burdens imposed on us by our government that require austerity, when in truth there is no scarcity; scarcity is a myth we are condemned to by an elite that refuses to share.

We see that the burdens of our common ecological and financial heritage exist because of the corrupt practices of a few, who have been allowed to establish rules and practices that concentrate wealth into their hands only, while the rest of our human family is expected to endure the hardship of being permanently excluded from this wealth, and while the health of all life and the biosphere itself is exhausted by an economic system predicated upon infinite growth in a finite natural world.

The establishment of a long-term democratic assembly in Centennial Square has underlined for us the necessity of addressing the pressing needs of many who have joined us: the poor, the hungry, the homeless, the mentally ill and those struggling with addiction in our city and beyond. We have been reminded that these brothers and sisters of ours are some of the most deeply affected by economic and social injustice.

We have been supported by indigenous and community groups, unions, members of the business community, and individuals, and for this we give great thanks.

We call upon the citizens of Victoria and the world to continue to bring this movement into your communities, your workplaces, your schools, your campuses, your parks, your streets, and most importantly, to bring this movement into the future.

The collective reclamation of our rights, our wealth, our health, and our natural world must be approached with optimism and a willingness to accept our own roles in the imbalances that are at play in our world. We call upon all people to join us at this critical time, to re-mobilize this movement, and to bring our participation and our diverse voices to the conversations, actions, rallies and flash camps that will nourish the seeds of direct democracy and justice that we have only just planted in this autumn uprising.

We have only just begun. Peace and love to you all.

* This Declaration is considered a living, breathing document. It can, should and must be amended through the process of the General Assembly of the PAOV.
** Please continue to see www.PAOV.ca for the most recent approved version of this Declaration.

First draft declared at the Sunday Nov 6, 2011 General Assembly (GA).

The following 5-part proposal was passed with consensus at the GA meeting Thursday Nov 10, 2011:

The PAOV shall immediately issue a statement entitled “Declaration of the People’s Assembly of Victoria”

The statement shall be considered and described as a “living, breathing document that can, should and must be amended through dialogue and debate at future PAOV GA meetings” *

Expressed with the statement shall be a link/location where one can find the most current version (i.e. the last version approved by the PAOV GA). **

The statement shall be issued for immediate public consumption, and delivered and communicated publicly in as prevalent a way possible

The statement shall be immediately displayed on the front page of PAOV.ca